


Rhodes that could have been travelled

by Doodlegirl1998



Series: The Alternate Strings of Fate [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Adolescent Sexuality, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Best Friends, Drunk Tony Stark, Feelings Realization, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Hurt Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, M/M, MIT Era, Past Relationship(s), Protective Rhodey, Rhodey Feels, Rhodey Is a Good Bro, Sexual Confusion, Sexuality Crisis, Soulmates, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-05
Updated: 2017-08-05
Packaged: 2018-12-11 15:17:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11717034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doodlegirl1998/pseuds/Doodlegirl1998
Summary: A what if scenario spawned from Vital For Understanding... what if Sunset succeeded in taking Tony's designs?





	Rhodes that could have been travelled

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dont_hurt_tony_stark](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dont_hurt_tony_stark/gifts), [AlexTheShipper](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexTheShipper/gifts), [Koalablu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Koalablu/gifts).



"Jesus, Tony." Astonished, James stares wide eyed at his best friend sprawled over the floor surrounded by several empty beer bottles.

 _ **'Oh god, what could have possibly happened  when Sunset broke up with him to get him in this state?'**_  

The young genius turns his face to the side to face Rhodey and grins falsely for a moment before his face crumples into a purely heartbroken expression.

"Rhooooodey."

"Looks like you don't need my break up supplies then." James aims for a faux casual tone to try and put Tony at ease, he dumps his six pack by the door and throws himself on the bed opposite where Tony was laid on the floor. “So spill. What happened?”

"Sourpuss." Tony grumbled before pulling himself up, so he was sat against the wall, "I've been drunker. I need to be drunkerrrr to tell… give me that." Tony clumsily gestures to the six pack by the door and Rhodey scowls at him.

"No and that's nothing to be proud of, you're only 16." Rhodey and Tony stare each other down for a moment before Tony lungs at the cans.

“Oh no you don’t!” Rhodey roughly pulls his best friend back but Tony seems rabid and viciously intent on grabbing the cans.

One of his arms accidently fails and smacks Rhodey in the chest, he gasps as the air is knocked from his lungs. “Oomph! Ah! Tony no!”

However surprisingly to Rhodey, Tony stills at this declaration and he drops his hand with a thunk, a mere finger width away from the nearest can.

Rhodey doesn’t move.

“ Tony?” He peers at his friend, unsure of whether his sudden stillness was a good thing, but upon closer inspection, Rhodey saw that his back was shaking.

“Why doesn’t anybody love me?” The sniffled question from his best friend was heart wrenching and there could be no mistaking the fact that he was crying into the floor now.

_‘ **Oh Tony…’**_

 "I love you, man. How could I not? You're my best friend." Rhodey replies trying to aim for a cheery tone, Tony's back shudders a little less violently so Rhodey called it a win. "Come on let's get you up and you can tell me where you got the ridiculous idea that no one loves you-"

Rhodey guides him into a seated position next to him, but keeps his steady secure arm around his best friends shoulders.

"S-sunset revealed she never loved me, s-she only wanted my plans. H-howard is furious she got them. We made love and it didn't mean anything to her." Tony gasps in between his sobs whilst Rhodey tries to rub his shoulder. Rhodey knew he was bad this, but he felt at a loss of what to do. "... you love me."

Too distracted by his bubbling anger at Sunset, Rhodey fails to notice the meaning of Tony's intense stare.

"Of course I do!" Oblivious to Tony's face breaking into a smile, Rhodey becomes deeper engrossed in his tirade against Sunset. "Unlike her, man. I never liked that vindictive predatory cow, she was an adult and you barely stopped being a kid! How dare she think she can just use you like-"

Rhodey was cut off abruptly when a pair of lips covered his own.

**‘ _What? …Tony?’_**

Remaining wide eyed and frozen in surprise, Rhodey distantly felt Tony clasp his face and lean in more, his eyes were shut and savouring the moment as he slips his skilled tongue in between the other teens lips.

Rhodey can't help but enjoy this despite his shock and the situation however his conscience nags at his brain whilst Tony slips his legs around him so he is perched on his lap.

_‘ **This has got to stop. He is my best FRIEND!’**_

**_‘But is he?’_ **

One of Tony’s hands slips downwards, to Rhodey’s jeans.

_‘ **You’ve never questioned your sexuality, have you? You’ve always seen yourself as stubbornly straight.  Despite how you’ve always found him attractive.’**_

Feeling his jean button pop open then his zipper being undone, Rhodey jolted from his thoughts when Tony’s hand touched him through his underwear. The shock of that touch was what made Rhodey pull away and retreat back out of Tony’s reach…

Tony just manages to catch himself as he fell from Rhodey's lap, he makes a disgruntled noise from his sprawled landing position. "Rhodey, what?"

Rhodey didn't think he ever heard Tony sound so confused before.

“We _can’t_ , I can’t do this Tony.” Shaking his head, Rhodey grimaced when he saw the purely heartbroken teary-eyed gaze coming from Tony who seems to remember that his mouth had opened in the shock of Rhodey's statement, he shut it with a click.

“I get it. You’re straight, right?” Tony’s voice sounded hard and brittle, it cut into Rhodey’s heart like shards of glass. “I just wanted it to mean something this time. But whatever- maybe you should go.” Rhodey wavered on his feet. “Leave those.”

Waving a faux careless hand to the drinks, Tony turns away and Rhodey’s gaze flickers to the beer he was now next to. Upon glancing back to Tony he sees him huddled in a defeated slouch, hugging himself and pressing his knees harshly against his eyes.

_‘ **No, I am not going to leave my Tones this way. My Tones?’**_

Then he stands and stalks over to Tony before crouching in front of him.

The brunette lifts his head from his knees and groans at the sight of Rhodey, “Piss off James.”

Rhodey only just smothers a flinch, Tony only reserved the use of his true first name for when he was truly angered by him. It had felt like he had just wrecked what could have been blossoming between them.

 _ **‘Would it have been better if I didn’t reject him?’** _  Staring down Tony’s cold eyes he would have impulsively said yes.

However, upon thinking about it, there were several other reasons why it was more sensible to pull away.

 **‘** _ **What if this was just a rebound?’** _ Rhodey’s face twitches a little, that was a painful that plausible possibility. Tony’s eyes narrow at him in concern.

_‘ **What if this ruined everything between us- he’s my best and almost only friend. I can’t lose him. Not only that what if that had ruined whatever relationship we could have in the future?’**_

**_‘I won’t take advantage of him while he’s drunk, I love him too much to do that.’_ **

“Tony, look man I’m just going to come out and say it.” Rhodey breathes in deeply. “I do love you-“

Tony’s eyes light up and widen as he moves forward into a crouch, his eager eyes flicker downwards at Rhodey’s still open trousers. _‘ **Oh fuck. Why did I forget to do up my pants of course Tony is getting mixed signals now!’**_

The genius's voice, has a hint of hope in and a deep note of what Rhodey believes to be lust. “So were you just scared before, does that mean now you want to-“

“No. I love you enough not to take advantage of you while you’re drunk and then there’s this whole thing with Sunset to think about-“

Tony rolls his eyes exasperatedly, “Why think about her? Fuck her! I want you!”

“I will not be a rebound Tony.”  Rhodey’s hand’s instinctively rise to cup Tony’s face, he keeps his tone deliberately soft and warm, mimicking the comforting tone that his mother was famous for. “If we have something, and we might, I want to be sure. I won’t risk our friendship otherwise. Let’s talk about this when we are both less screwed up in the head, yeah?”

Tony appears crestfallen but a hint of understanding bleeds into his eyes, he nods and turns away before getting to his wobbly feet and stilling. “Why are you so messed up about this?”

Rhodey gives him a droll look and answers in a toneless voice. “I was straight until my best mate snogged me.”

“Oh.”

He can’t help but snort at the genuine surprise in Tony’s voice. “Go to sleep genius.”

Wiggling under the covers, Tony yawns and winks at Rhodey. “You mean gorgeous.”

“Sure, I do,” Amusedly, Rhodey gives his best friend- _**was it boyfriend now?** -_ a light-hearted grin in return as he cleans up the bottles on the floor.

When he next got a chance to look up Tony was sound asleep, so he as quietly as possible left two Paracetamol and a glass of water on the side table before leaving the room.

 ** _'Thankfully I remembered to do up my jeans first,'_**   Rhodey's mind wandered as he strolled down the corridor.

**‘ _What are we now? Friends or lovers? Maybe once we’ve both sorted our heads we can sort something out… but the good news is that Tony was never one for labelling things anyway. The labels for him just happen accidently over time, whatever it may be I’m just happy to have him be a part of my life.’_**

 


End file.
